


Familiar Faces

by annabetncnase



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, just saying, this will not make you happy at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 01:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18790126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annabetncnase/pseuds/annabetncnase
Summary: What if, during his journey through California in SoN, Percy had stumbled upon Annabeth's house in San Francisco?In this version of this prompt, Percy knocks on the door and Annabeth's dad answers.





	Familiar Faces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ninaswritings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninaswritings/gifts).



> hey everyone! this is a collab with ninaswritings (kristinstoked/footprintsinthefallingsnow on tumblr). we wrote the same prompt, inspired by hcs by lordgrover on tumblr, but with different plots, so read her version, Familiar Places, too!

Frederick Chase didn’t expect to get a visit from Percy Jackson that day.

He had been working when he heard a knock on the door, and he found it strange that someone was knocking at that time - his wife and kids had gotten home long ago, and it was definitely too late for mail or anything like that. Nonetheless, he went downstairs to answer.

When he opened the door, he nearly jumped back. It was Percy Jackson, his daughter’s boyfriend. But that’s not what surprised Frederick - Percy looked like he had just walked through a full-functioning Sopwith Camel engine. His face was covered in dirt and blood, which didn’t seem to be his. His black hair was just about brown, his orange Camp-Half Blood shirt was ripped all over and barely recognizable, and his jeans were in a similar state. To top it all off, he was one shoe short.

The strangest thing, though, was the look on Percy’s face. He was confused, and looked at Frederick expectantly, as if the man was about to burst into song at any moment, but he wasn’t quite sure which one.

“Percy? My gods- what happened to you? What are you doing here?” Frederick asked, still holding the doorknob in confusion.

Upon hearing his own name, something in Percy’s face switched.

“I- I don’t know. Sir, I think... maybe you could help me?”

Percy’s sea green eyes searched Frederick’s face, like he was trying to make out who the man was. Now, he had gotten a few extra white strands of hair since the last time Percy had seen him, but he sure wasn’t unrecognizable. No, there was something wrong with that kid.

“Percy, where’s Annabeth? Aren’t you with her?”

“Annabeth?” Percy’s eyes widened. “You know her? I thought… I mean, you look like her… do you know where she is?”

Frederick was getting more confused with each passing second. Annabeth’s boyfriend shows up at his doorstep looking like a homeless man, doesn’t even know who he’s talking to, doesn’t know what he’s doing there and doesn’t know where Annabeth is.

“Percy, why are you here?” Frederick tried again.

“I don’t know. I just thought I knew this place, like it’s got something to do with Annabeth… I thought maybe she’d be here? Or I’d know something” the boy looked hopeful. “I don’t know, mister…”

“Chase. Well, I suppose you can call me Frederick at this point.”

“Chase?” His face lit up. “Do you… you do know Annabeth, right?”

“Yes, of course. I am her father, Percy. Don’t you know who I am?”

“I’m so sorry, si- um, Frederick. I don’t remember anything”, he confessed, eyeing the floor. “Just Annabeth.”

“You don’t remember _anything_? What do you mean?”

“I woke up a few weeks ago, and- well, a lot happened, and I’ve sort of been wandering around looking for something… and then I thought I recognized this place. Maybe this is where I have to go? My- my memories were erased, I wouldn’t know.” The boy looked absolutely defeated.

Frederick didn’t know how to react. He truly wanted to help Percy, but, for the life of him, he didn’t know how. How was he supposed to help this kid who barely knew his own name, but apparently was looking for something desperately? He had to go somewhere, but it couldn’t possibly be Camp Half-Blood. After all, that’s where he probably came from. The man simply had no idea what to do. There was nowhere he could take Percy.

After taking another look at the boy, though, the course of action was clear.

“Dear gods, Percy. I don’t know what is happening, but you clearly need a shower and a good night’s sleep. Come in.”

* * *

 

After Percy, showered, put on one of Frederick’s old shirts and a new pair of shoes, and ate two plates full of of spaghetti, the two of them sat down and Percy tried his best to explain his situation to his father-in-law. The man listened quietly.

Though he could answer some of Percy’s questions about his own life ( _I don’t know where I come from, I don’t know who my parents are, I don’t know where Annabeth is, I don’t know how old I am, I barely even know who I am_ ), Frederick wasn’t sure he should. There was probably a reason his memory had been erased, and he wasn’t going to meddle in the gods’ business. That was, in fact, the last thing he wanted. He also didn’t want to push the conversation any further - now that he was off his adrenaline rush, Percy looked like he was going to fall asleep at any second.

So Frederick led Percy upstairs into Annabeth’s room, and the boy fell asleep the minute his head touched the pillow.

However, Frederick still couldn’t call it a night. There was yet one more burning question to be answered: _should I tell Annabeth_?

If he were to follow his previous line of thought, no. He didn’t know why Annabeth was the only thing Percy remembered, but he knew they must have been separated for a reason. Leading her to him would probably interfere with whatever plan the gods had for him, and it would be entirely his fault. On the other hand, if he knew Annabeth, she was probably going out of her mind with worry looking for him, which was probably the reason she hadn’t contacted him in so long. His relationship with his daughter was already damaged enough as it was, and if she found out that he had taken Percy in, cooked him dinner and put him to sleep in her own bed, all of that without telling her - gods know what she would think of him.

Frederick Chase picked up the phone and dialed his daughter’s number.

After a couple of rings, she answered.

“ _Hi, dad. What’s up?_ ” She sounded tired, which means had probably woken her up.

“Hi, Annabeth. Is everything alright? Are you at camp?”

“ _Not really. I’m at Sally’s, Percy’s mom. He’s, um- he’s missing._ ”

Frederick sighed.

“Yes, I know.”

“ _You do? Wait, is everything okay? Why are you calling me at… two a.m.?_ ”

“Annabeth, I need you to be rational about what I’m going to tell you, okay? I need you to be calm and think before you do anything.”

“ _What? Dad, what is it? What’s happening?_ ”

“Annabeth, Percy is here.”

The line was silent for a few seconds.

“ _What do you mean ‘Percy is here’_?”

“I mean he’s here, at our house. He showed up at the door a couple of hours ago, he’s sleeping in your bed right now.”

“ _Oh my gods. Oh my gods. He just showed up at the door? Is he okay, does he-_ ”

“He’s not injured, but he doesn’t remember anything. He says his memory was erased, and he’s looking for something.”

Frederick heard rumbling noises on the other side of the line, like Annabeth was moving around and typing.

“ _I’m taking the next flight to San Francisco. It leaves in about an hour. Don’t let him go anywhere._ ”

“Honey, I’m not sure that’s a good idea-”

“ _I’ll be there by 10_ ” Annabeth declared, and hung up.

The man stared at his phone for a couple of seconds. He was starting to regret his decision, but it was too late. Annabeth was probably already hauling a cab, or a magic pegasus, or whatever mode of transportation she used these days.

Resigned, Frederick decided there was nothing else he could do but go to bed and wait for the storm that was to arrive by 10.

* * *

 

At exactly 9:54 a.m., Annabeth arrived at her house in San Francisco.

She ran up to her bedroom, barely sparing her father a glance on the way. On top of her bed, she found a neatly folded green shirt that she was sure belonged to her father. Over it sat a note, written in a handwriting she would recognize anywhere.

 

_Hey Frederick._

_Thanks for letting me stay the night, and for the pasta and the shirt. I really wish I could do something to pay back the favor but for some reason there’s always these monsters following me around and I didn’t want them to break into your house. And I think I have to keep looking for whatever I’m looking too. So yeah thanks for everything again but I really had to leave. I’m really sorry to just run away like this and also for taking your shoes Percy_

_PS: if you see Annabeth please tell her that I miss her and that I hope I see her soon_


End file.
